Ahead of the opening Test against South Africa, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain had insisted that he was hoping that Mehidy Hasan Miraz would fill the void of Shakib Al Hasan in the coming days, reports Cricbuzz.
In 2024, Mehedy is already Bangladesh's highest run-scorer (461 runs in seven Tests at an average of 46.10) which included four fifties, batting either at seven or eight, while also being the team's highest wicket-taker this year.
He is reaping the rewards of a long training period in the Bangladesh Tigers program when he was not involved in Bangladesh's T20 World Cup campaign or its build-up and proved his credentials in Pakistan. Eventhough he did not score much against India, he looked in good touch with the bat.
On Thursday, Mehidy missed the chance of scoring his second Test hundred, getting dismissed on 97 runs against South Africa, but remained the most important contributor for the side. He is neither worried about missing a well-deserved Test century nor interested in being compared with star all-rounder Shakib.
"It always feels bad to miss a century and I am also feeling bad, but more than the century, if I could've executed the plan, it would have felt much better," Mehidy told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the city on Thursday.
"I was not thinking about the century all I was thinking about was how far I could take the team. I always try to enjoy tough situations. I don't overthink. I just think that if I play well here, there's a chance to become a hero.
"I feel good that I'm able to make the most of this opportunity. If I do well where I'm playing, the team will be in a good position. If I perform poorly, the team won't get results. I'm trying to improve even more because I've seen that when I do well, the team does well. At the start of my career, my average was only 1.5. I'm now trying to improve," he said before indicating that he is not comfortable getting compared with Shakib.
"You are always saying that I am playing in place of Shakib bhai. Shakib bhai contributed significantly to Bangladesh and he is a legendary player. I have been scoring runs for the last two years. Shakib bhai has his place and I am in my place, and it is better if you don't compare one player with another player because we all know about Shakib bhai's achievement".
